Content
The fungus of the strophariaceae family is distributed throughout the country. There are many varieties of it: mucous flake, fiery flake, golden flake and other types.
Mushrooms are considered conditionally edible and have beneficial properties used for treatment in folk medicine. They grow in families on stumps, roots and in tree hollows (most often birch and willow trees).
What does mucous flake look like?
Externally, the mucous scales are similar to honey mushrooms and grow in the same groups.Avid mushroom pickers in our country most often neglect this species, mistaking it for a toadstool.
In eastern countries, flakes are very popular, occupy a worthy place in cooking, and are grown in artificially created conditions.
This mushroom is also called mucous champignon, flamulla, fibre, and Greenland flake.
Description of the cap
In young specimens of Flamulla mucosa, the cap is bell-shaped with a closed edge. With growth, the cap becomes slightly concave and unfolded, reaching 50–100 mm in size.
The color of the cap is brown, more saturated in the center. It is covered with matte skin, abundantly covered with scales. In damp weather the skin becomes sticky. Along the edges of the cap you can find remnants of the coverlet, washed away by rain during growth.
As it grows, the underside of the cap becomes covered with weak yellow-green plates, occasionally covered with brown spots.
Description of the leg
The cylindrical hollow stem of a young mushroom is usually crooked, has a height of up to 10 cm, and its diameter is no more than 10 mm. As it grows, the cavity of the leg is filled with cotton pulp.
On the stem of the young flake there is a yellowish ring that quickly disappears. The edges of the ring are red in color, and under the ring itself there are many scales.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
Fiber mucus is a conditionally edible mushroom. All parts of young specimens and the caps of adult mushrooms are suitable for food. When processed, the legs become very tough and tasteless, and therefore are not used in cooking.
Despite the fact that mucous flakes do not have a strong mushroom aroma, they are suitable for preparing second courses and pickling. Gourmets consider this variety of flakes to be a delicacy.Before the main stages of cooking, the mushrooms must be boiled for a quarter of an hour. Drain the water. This gets rid of the inherent bitterness.
The healing properties of mucous flakes
Currently, the types of scaly fungi have not been fully studied. Scientific studies conducted in laboratory conditions on white mice have shown that the mucosal fiber contains substances that can stop the growth of tumor cells.
Where and how does it grow
The localization and method of growth of this type of mushroom is similar to honey mushrooms, which are widely known to avid mushroom pickers. Slimy scale grows on rotten, half-rotten wood. It lives in families, prefers coniferous and mixed forests with a temperate climate.
In Russia, it is widespread in Karelia, the Far East, and the forests of the Urals and Siberia. Fruiting begins at the end of August and continues until the first frost.
Doubles and their differences
Due to the fact that flake is little known among mushroom pickers, it is often confused with other species:
- Honey mushrooms. Unlike fiber, honey mushrooms have a denser ring of legs and plates of the cap. The color is also different. Honey mushrooms are considered conditionally edible and are widely used in cooking;
- Blue-trunked webworts (staining) - an inedible type of mushroom that grows on mosses in marshy areas. Cobwebs have a different color from flamullas: ocher with bluish
tint or violet-blue color.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that mucous flake is little known, and few mushroom hunting lovers pay due attention to it, the mushroom has some advantages.With proper culinary processing, it produces delicious dishes and preparations. The medicinal properties suggest that consumption as food and as a medicinal raw material can benefit the body.
